Peter Maxwell Davies's Five Motets

Extract

The first version of the Five Motets, completed in 1959 while Maxwell Davies was still at Cirencester, was laid out for two choirs, a cappella, and four soloists. Realising the difficulty of the work as it stood however, the composer withheld it for the time being, and eventually re-wrote it in 1962 immediately after reaching Princeton, adding instrumental accompaniments to each of the three groups. These parts double the voices, but at the same time achieve a life of their own by means of the interchange of parts and other unobtrusive decorative devices. Stylistically the work moves away from the strict techniques characteristic of the composer's preceding works (isorhythm, canon, serialism, etc.) towards a greater freedom of melodic and harmonic expansion. One important factor in the articulation of this new manner is the all-pervading use of cori spezzati effects, the three groups of performers being directed to be placed as far apart as is reasonably practical to obtain true antiphony. The central group comprises SATB soloists and string quintet; the left hand group choir I (SATB), 2 trumpets, 2 trombones and chamber organ I; and the right hand group choir II (SATB), flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, double bassoon and chamber organ II.